Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Sometimes You Can Be "Too Good" At Sales

I got "sold” by a good salesman the other day. Yep, buying a pair of sneakers. It was at a fancy outlet mall, and a big national brand. I tried on the sneaks, and they felt a little uncomfortable. The salesman, quite personable, said "You’ll get used to them” and that they were the "best sneakers he ever wore”…. He seemed knowledgeable about shoe construction and foot mechanics. So, with a little knot of hesitation, I took his word for it and bought the sneakers.

Wrong! They hurt. After a few days of attempting to wear them, they would not even fit. The salesman was just TOO good. He had "sold” me-- I didn’t buy. Now I won’t go back to that store again nor ever buy a pair of that brand shoes.

What does this mean to the real estate salesman? Sometimes you can be TOO GOOD at "selling” – what people don’t want.

Some examples of being "too good” when selling to a buyer?

Convincing them it’s the "house for them”, even though they might barely qualify for the mortgage.

Commenting that "the home just needs a little work” to make it perfect, when they aren’t handy.

Saying they’ll "get used to the commute”, even though they complain about gas prices.

Telling them "It’s a great buy!” despite knowing they don’t love the home.

Now everyone normally has some minor objections when they are making a buying decision. It’s part of the customer’s "gut check” process and we all do it. But when you KNOW you are "selling” versus helping them overcome their own objections, you’re headed for disaster.

In the end, what is the outcome? Deals fall through. That’s right. The buyers really didn’t want the home. They found an out. It might be the home inspection. It might be their mortgage qualifications suddenly change. Or they might walk. You see, they didn’t choose to make the purchase, the salesperson pushed them.

The same thing can happen with sellers who don’t really want to sell. They list high. They don’t cooperate. They default, too. The salesman was just too good and "sold” them on listing.

So if you are suave, charming and have a silver tongue, keep it in check. Listen to the customer. Don’t sell them what they don’t want. You may make less "sales", but will certainly have more "closings".